1916 was a pivotal year for the British Empire and for the world. In 1916 Britain suffered the humiliating surrender at Kut, a serious revolt in Dublin, the naval reverse at Jutland and the massive blood sacrifice at the Somme. It was no nearer winning the Great War it had begun two years earlier against […]
This summer will see the publication of ‘Resurgence’ – the second and final volume of ‘The Catholic Political Predicament in ‘Northern Ireland.’ It takes up the story where ‘Catastrophe’ left off, in August 1969, the pivotal event in the resurgence of the nationalist community after the catastrophe of 1920-25. From the final chapter ‘Restless in […]
The following talk was given to the Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto, Canada and Ottawa University at the end of March 2016 Easter week of 1916 was a very bad 7 days for the British Empire. It started with a serious Rising in Dublin against British rule in Ireland and ended with General Townshend’s […]
In his Irish Times (20/2/16) book review of ‘Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler’ by Stefan Ihrig, Lawrence Douglas states: “Ihrig brilliantly lays bare the ‘confluence’ between German anti-Semitic and anti-Armenian stereotypes. Jews and Armenians were treated as ‘Semitic cousins’, with the latter playing the role of ‘quasi-‘ or even ‘über-Jews’.” The […]
The Irish Times (20/2/16) has a book review of Stefan Ihrig’s ‘Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler.’ Its reviewer is a Law Professor from the U.S. Perhaps in this year of 1916 commemoration a book and a review vilifying “our gallant allies” of Germany and Turkey is called for by the […]
The Irish News (25.1.2016) has claimed that it has seen information that the IRA commander who planned the 1993 Shankill bombing was a State agent who provided prior knowledge of the attack to his British handlers. Alison Morris says in her accompanying “Analysis” column: “Retaliation for the IRA bombing (of the Shankill) was swift and […]
The September issue of History Ireland has a sympathetic article by Angus Mitchell, author of the recent 1916 book on Roger Casement, called ‘James Bryce and the Politics of Inhumanity.’ However, the career of Lord Bryce would be better summed up in George Curzon’s memorable phrase of “fatal philanthropy”. Roger Casement’s view that James Bryce […]
The dysfunctionality of the perverse political entity known as ‘Northern Ireland’ is quite evident at the moment. But it is not evident to all. The current leader of Fianna Fail seems to be of the belief that a normal society is possible in ‘Northern Ireland’ and normality has been disturbed by the main problem within […]
TV Mike, the current leader of the Ulster Unionist Party is about to lead his colleagues into the wilderness of “opposition” to the Good Friday Agreement. If the DUP follow him it is likely to be no longer a wilderness. It will be Stormont that will be the wilderness. Until the Grand Old Duke of […]
A version of a Talk given to The 1916-21 Club (Old Dublin Brigade, IRA) at the Pearse’s Residence, Dublin on August 15th 2015. Britain’s Great War to destroy the Ottoman Empire became Ireland’s War courtesy of Redmondism and the Treaty of 1921. It was not “Our War” as some have recently claimed and Ireland’s involvement […]
